Apparatus for excavating large diameter shafts



March 13, 1962 R. B. JEWELL 3,024,852

APPARATUS FOR EXCAVATING LARGE DIAMETER SHAFTS Filed July 8, 1959 3Sheets-Sheet 1 FIE IN VEN TOR.

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A JZJZ w March 13, 1962 B. JEWELL APPARATUS FOR EXCAVATING LARGEDIAMETER SHAFTS 3 Sheets-Sheet 2' Filed July 8, 1959' INVENTOR. 3

HTTORAZ'Y.

March 1962 R. B. JEWELL 3,024,852

APPARATUS FOR EXCAVATING LARGE DIAMETER SHAFTS ,4 INVENTOR.

:3 $055 .fM/EZL. F BY HTTORZEX ilnited dtates 3,tl24,852 APPARATUS FUREXCAVATING LARGE DIAMETER SHAFTS Robert B. Jewell, Shreveport, La.,assignor to Mason & Hanger-Silas Mason (10., Inc. Filed July 8, 1959,Ser. No. 825,843 6 Claims. (Cl. 175-184) The object of the presentinvention is to provide an apparatus capable of drilling and excavatinglarge diameter shafts, an example being a shaft of 20 feet diameter. Theapparatus is characterized by means for progressively lowering into theearth a multiple cutter assembly in which units are rotated in oppositedirections to effect a conical cut area, high pressure Water jetswashing the cuttings toward the center of the conical cut face, at whicharea a pressure air lift removes the cuttings to the ground surface.

The invention will be described with reference to the accompanyingdrawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a vertical section through a ground formation and part of thecutter assembly, showing an embodiment of the invention in assembly.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary plan view, partly in sections showing the guidetower for maintaining a vertical drilling position, and certain elementscarried thereby.

FIG. 3 is a horizontal section on the line 3-3, FIG. 1, showing thesinking platform, the pulleys 9 and it) of FIG. 1 being omitted.

FIG. 4 is a bottom schematic horizontal view, looking upwardly andpartly in section and partly in dotted lines, showing the position ofthe drive shaft and drive pinions relative to driven gears for the outerand inner cutters.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary bottom plan view, in section looking upwardly onthe line 5-5, FIG. 1, showing suitable mounting arrangements for theinner and outer cutters.

FIG. 6 is a somewhat enlarged view, partly in vertical section, showingthe sinking platform and the cutter mechanism, and omitting the manifold37 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 7 is a detailed view, partly in vertical section, showing theroller mounting for the outer cutting unit at the right hand margin ofFIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a horizontal section on the line 8-8, FIG. 6.

FIG. 9 is a detailed view of the roller mounting shown in FIG. 7 turned90.

FIG. 10 is a detailed plan view showing the mounting of the cutters intheir rotary carriers.

Referring to FIG. 1 of the drawings, it will be seen that rising from aground formation at 1, are vertical supports 2, for a rigid supportingstructure 3. As indicated in FIG. 2, the structure 3 may be cruciform soas to have upright supports at least at four areas. The supportingstructure preferably is constructed of steel beams and struts, asindicated in the drawings.

Centrally of the supporting structure 3 is a passageway for a verticallymovable guide tower 4 which extends downwardly to an annular structurehereinafter termed a platform, and which is shown at 5, a rigidconnection being made between the guide tower and the platform, thelatter carrying guide rollers at 5 adapted to ride on external tube 38The guide tower and platform are suspended for raising and lowering bycables 6 and 7. Cable 6 is led over a pulley 8 carried by supportingstructure 3, thence is led over a pulley 9 carried by the platform, andthence is led upward and fixed to a bracket carried by the supportingstructure 3. Cable 7 is led over a pulley 10 carried by structure 3,thence extends downwardly over a pulley 11 carried by the platform, andthen extends upwardly to a bracket carried by supporting structure 3.

Cables 6 and 7 will be led to a power driven drum of 3,ii24,852 PatentedMar. 13, 1962 any suitable construction (not shown) for raising andlowering the platform md its guide tower.

The platform is provided with two concentric trolley beams near itsouter margin. Hung on the said circular trolley beams for rotation is anannular carrier for cutters. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, this annularcarrier is composed of two spaced rings 12 connected by cross struts 13,and from rings 12 are upwardly extending bracket housings 14 for opposedrollers 15 which ride upon the trolley beams. The trolley beams areindicated at 16, and the assembly is more particularly shown in FIG. 7.The innermost carrier ring 12 is formed as a gear, or carries agear-ring 17, FIG. 7, which is engaged by a drive gear 18 on a driveshaft 19, which extends upwardly through the fixed support 3. Adaptedfor rotation of shaft 19 is a pinion 20, F IG. 1, and the relationbetween said pinion and the shaft permits vertical movement of thelatter. Thus the pinion may have slot and spline engagement with theshaft, or the shaft may be squared, with a corresponding slide fit-inthe pinion. Pinion 21) is actuated by a drive pinion 21 on a shaft 22leading to a suitable motor in housing 23. In FIG. 1 this motor isindicated as a fluid pressure motor, as by air, but it may be of anyother suitable type.

Rings 12 are employed to carry either cutter blades, as indicated inFIGS. 1 and 5, at 25, or steel disks as indicated in FIG. 6 and FIG. 10.With respect to cutter blades 25, they are shown as carried betweenspaced brackets 27, FIG. 5, the brackets being carried in any suitablemanner by rings 12, and the cutter blades mounted between spaced bars 27welded or otherwise suitably connected to bracket arms 27.

It will be noted that the carrier brackets 27 hold the cutters 25 or 26in downwardly inclined position, and that inwardly of the same areadditional cutter gangs similarly inclined and carrying like cutters.The carrier brackets for the last named gangs are indicated at 30, andeach gang is supported by a ring 31, reinforced by struts 31 leading toa center ring 41 and the ring carries a plurality, generally four, ofbracket housings 32 for rollers 33*, FIG. 6 which ride upon an annulartrolley beam 33, carried by the platform. In FIG. 10 it is shown thatthe cutters 26 are shown in the form of disks, carried by spacer arms26*, between the carrier brackets 30, and hence forming elements of saidbrackets.

Ring 31 has external gear teeth meshing with a drive gear 35 as thelower end of shaft 19, so that the inner gangs of cutters and the outergangs of cutters are rotated in opposite directions.

At 36, FIG. 1, is a conduit pipe leading to a manifold 37, which, asparticularly shown in FIG. 3, communicates with a plurality of outflowpipes 33, having downwardly extending nozzles 39, FIG. 1. A flexiblehose 336* communicates with conduit 36 for leading to a high pressuresupply of water.

Extending downwardly through the guide tower 4 is an air lift consistingof an external tube 33, FIG. 1, into which air under high pressure maybe forced via flexible hose 39*. This air under pressure entersapertures at 47 formed in the lower end of a discharge pipe 40, andexerts an upwardly directed suction in said pipe for withdrawing andcarrying off cuttings and wash water from the bottom of the shaft to andout of flexible hose 41.

It will be seen that the apparatus consists of gangs of cutters, whichmay be in the form of cutter teeth, disks, plows, carbide tipped tools,etc., as required by the material to be drilled or cut and excavated.Sets of these cutter gangs are rotated in opposite directions andthereby balance torque. The rotary cutter gangs are supported forrotation on trolley beams on a platform which is supported by cables,the platform being preferably in the form of a supporting trussassembly. This assembly may be weighted to increase sinking speed of thecutters, and

the platform or truss assembly may be raised and lowered by cables andis guided by a guide tower which maintains vertical drilling positionand which resists any unbalanced torque. The cables work from anoverhead fixed support through which the guide tower projects, and whichsupport carries drive means for supporting shaft, which leads to geararrangements for reversely rotating the two sets of gang cutters, thegangs being downwardly inclined to cut a conical path into the materialundergoing, cutting, breaking up, and removal. The cutting is augmentedby high pressure water jets which wash the cuttings toward the center ofthe conical cut and into the action of an air lift.

It will be noted that at the sides of the air lift lower end, curvedcutter blades 45 are provided.

Having described my invention, what I claim. and desire to secure byLetters Patent, is as follows:

1. An apparatus for drilling and excavating large diameter shafts,comprising a support adapted for application to a ground surface andhaving a central passageway, a guide tower vertically movable throughsaid central passageway of said support, an annular trolley beam carried by the guide tower at the lower end thereof, a plurality of sets ofgang cutters means movably supporting said sets of gang cutters on saidtrolley beam, power drive means for moving said sets of gang cutters onsaid annular trolley beam, an air-lift vertically movable with saidguide tower and adapted to receive and withdraw cuttings at the area ofthe gang cutters, means for discharging water under pressure to the gangcutter areas, means for raising and lowering the gang cutters and theguide tower.

2. An apparatus for drilling and excavating large diameter shafts,comprising a support adapted to be held upon a ground surface and havinga vertical passageway, a. guide tower extending downwardly through saidpassageway, a tubular air-lift extending through the tower and laterallysupported thereby, annular beams surrounding the tubular air-lift,beam-running means, a plurality of sets of gang cutters movablysupported by the annular beams and beam-running means, power drive meansfor said gang cutter movement, means for discharging water underpressure to the gang cutter areas, and means for raising and loweringthe annular beams and beamrunning means with the sets of gang cutters.

3. An apparatus for drilling and excavating large diameter shafts,comprising a support adapted to be held upon a ground surface, verticalsupporting means having a length extending below the first namedsupport, a platform carried by said vertical supporting means at itslower end, outer and inner annular beams carried by said platform andproviding two annular trackways, outer and inner gangs of cutters onsaid beams, power means for moving the gang cutters relatively to thebeams with the outer gang cutters moved in a direction opposite to thedirection of movement of the inner gang cutters, means for dischargingwater under pressure to the gang cutter areas, an air-lift adapted toreceive and discharge cuttings produced by said gang cutters, and meansfor raising and lowering the vertical supporting means with the platformand the gang cutters.

4. An apparatus for drilling and excavating large diameter shafts,comprising a support adapted for application to a ground surface andhaving a guiding aperture, a guide tower extending through said supportand guided thereby for vertical movements, an annular supportingstructure carried at the lower end of the guide tower, two annulartrackways carried by said last named structure, a plurality of gangcutters comprising outermost gang cutters on one trackway and inner gangcutters on the second trackway, supporting means for said gang cuttersincluding rollers applied to said annular trackways, power means formoving the gang cutters on said trackways with the outermost cuttersmoving in a direction opposite to that of the inner gang cutters, meansfor discharging water under pressure to the gang cutter areas, anair-lift for receiving and discharging cuttings, and means for raisingand lowering the guide tower and the elements carried thereby.

5. An apparatus for drilling and excavating large diameter shafts,constructed in accordance with claim 4, in which the inner gang cuttersare mounted upon a ring gear and the outermost gang cutters are mountedupon a second ring gear, a shaft vertically extending downwardly fromthe first named support and carrying pinions for oppositely rotatingsaid ring gears, a power motor on said support, and drive connectionsfrom said motor to said shaft, and adapted to permit vertical movementsof the shaft relative to its drive.

6. An apparatus for drilling and excavating large diameter shafts,comprising a support adapted for application to a ground surface,constructed in accordance with claim 4, in combination with a manifoldon the annular supporting structure carried at the lower end of theguide tower, means for leading water under pressure to said manifold, aplurality of nozzles carried by and projecting downwardly from saidannular supporting structure, and a plurality of pipes connecting saidmanifold with the nozzles.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS126,729 Meatyard May 14, 1872 801,828 Frieh et al. Oct. 10, 19051,428,788 Larson Sept. 12, 1922 2,221,226 Wick Nov. 12, 1940 2,766,978Robbins Oct. 16, 1956

